I have just started at a new secondary school - I am 13 -and even though my school knows that I am dyspraxic my parents were told by my teacher that the school could not treat me differently from other children and they would have to get used to me being punished i.e. given extra work or detentions, for being poorly organised and forgetting things. Has anybody else been punished by their school for being dyspraxic?

Pre-diagnosis, in reception they told me that I had to recolour everything I had coloured because it was scribbled (I didn't understand the difference; I just copied everyone else). I also was sent to the headmaster because we were given 45 minutes to write about the three little pigs, and I wrote "Once upon a", and nothing else. Someone else had written 11 pages (big letters, small pages, but substantially more than I had). That was an unpleasant conversation...

I think you've been treated terribly by the school - you should make it clear to them that there's nothing you can do about your organisation skills, and that you'll try the best you can but you shouldn't be punished for something you can't control! Besides, my mum's a lawyer and she says that if they still punish you for it that's disability discrimination - so don't stand for it!

Thanks FenellaMy Mum's going to talk to the school SENCO and make sure that all the teachers are aware that I can't help being disorganised. Most of the teachers are fine and really helpful and supportive - it's only one who is handing out punishmentsGigi xx

While I believe you shouldn't use dyspraxia as an excuse (ie. I can't be bothered to hand in this essay, I'll just say I couldn't do it because of my dyspraxia...') and should make every effort to be as organised etc as possible, there are definite problem areas that dyspraxia affects and makes you find things a bit more difficult than other people. I think the school should help support you through this... are things any better now?

Is your dyspraxia covered under special education, or do you have an IEP (individualized education plan)? I don't think that schools can punish you like a general education student if you have an IEP. I would check into this. If you do not already have an IEP I would talk to your parent about getting one.

When I was younger, I had a really horrible teacher. She knew I had dyspraxia and my handwriting was AWFUL. I'd try so hard. She'd shout at me, keep me in at lunch times and make me write my work out all over again. If I didn't do it write she'd chuck it in the bin...I've also been made to redo work time after time because I really can't colour in, I try and I try but I really can't colour in properly. Meh.

As said by Trin, you should have an IEP, as this will make your teachers aware of exactly what your difficulties are and what they can do to work with you. If you don't have one, try talking to your schools Senco (Learning Support). An IEP is a British thing, so you should be perfectly able to get one (I should know - I have one )

No, I haven't, not in secondary anyway. It isn't right for you to be punished like that, and I'd go with the advice above. I have got demerit points before which is kind of punishing me for being dyspraxic (I got them because I forgot my apron) but that's because she knows I'm organised usually. My teachers will excuse me for being late for classes (only about 30 seconds-5 mins) as there is a considerable distance between classes and they're often at opposite ends of the building but this is the only thing i can get away with.

One of my teachers often makes remarks about my writing saying stuff like "I can't read this" infront of my entire class when I really believe that sometimes she doesn't even try as all my other teachers can. The same kind of thing used to happen to me in primary school, my teacher used to make me rewrite things all the time, talk about how bad my writing way to the rest of the class and that made me feel bad. I don't even think she noticed.

Now I use a laptop for nearly all school work that is long so most of the time it's okay apart from short questions which I write by hand as there is no alternative here which is where this teacher is giving out to me. Tbh, I don't mind too much as she's the teacher that EVERYONE hates xD

That's terrible treatment, if you have an problem with handing in the work to a deadline and if the work isn't satisfactory they shouldn't punish you because of it. They're aware of your problem so they should help as long as you put in the effort. Maybe your parents could ask the school for some help sheets and guide lines to all the work. And if you're a bit disorganized they could give you a planner and keep the work you've already done at school.

I was given a referral (a disciplinary procedure) in Year 7 for not completing homework (I kept forgetting my homework planner and then forgetting what I had to do) and I also got told off by a couple of teachers for losing nearly all of my exercise books in the same week right at the beginning of Year 7 but, once they got to know me and how my dyspraxia affected me, they were more understanding and I never had any more problems. What they are doing to you is not fair.

hi i have been punished twice once it was because i didnt forget my maths books i brought the one i had used up all the pages in and got given a detention i was in year 8 and had never had one before so stood outside staff room in tears te second time was when i was shouted at for not understanding how to use a machine in dt my dad spoke to the special needs lady and she spoke to the teachers though really they should know and understood

Oh I forgot the time an IT assistant from Australia on his gap year called me lazy and said that he could have done twice as much work in the same amount of time. That really upset me as I had tried my hardest and his comments reduced me to tears. I spoke to a trusted teacher who spoke to the IT teacher and he explained to him about my difficulties. After that, he was always overly nice to me.